Castlevania: Order of Shadows
Encyclopedia
Castlevania: Order of Shadows is a mobile game
Mobile game
A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....

 developed for the Java Platform, Micro Edition
Java Platform, Micro Edition
Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Java platform designed for embedded systems . Target devices range from industrial controls to mobile phones and set-top boxes...

, and released by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

 in September 2007.

Gameplay

Order of Shadows features gameplay similar to that of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.Symphony of the...

and other games in the series: it's a platform game with RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 characteristics, like the HP, MP and experience points.

Desmond Belmont, the playable character, has also a lot of weapons to collect along the game, like axes, swords and hammers, besides his standard leather whip. This is one more characteristic typical from RPG games.

The game features the ability to swap out the existing soundtrack with songs from the original Castlevania
Castlevania (video game)
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a console video game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in September 1986. A year later, in May 1987 it was ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System followed by a...

.

Plot

Desmond Belmont and his two sisters, Zoe and Dolores, search Dracula's castle for a cult called "The Order" that is trying to resurrect Dracula
Dracula (Castlevania)
, whose real name is Mathias Cronqvist , is a fictional character from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series...

. This game takes place in the late 17th century, and is a side story
Gaiden
is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...

 to the official canon, and thus, not part of Koji Igarashi
Koji Igarashi
, also known simply by the nickname IGA, is a Konami employee and one of the producers of the Castlevania video game series. He is best known as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, his first major involvement in the Castlevania series , also known simply by the nickname...

's official timeline.
The player takes control as Desmond Belmont, the heir of the Vampire Killer whip.

Development

Originally, the storyline was around a character named Gryff LaRue and his family of "mages and witches", but was modified as the Belmont clan has always been portrayed as a "family of warriors". After the rewrite, the story was changed to be more similar to traditional Castlevania stories, and made Desmond Belmont wield a whip instead of an axe or sword. The game was built "from the ground up" to be played on cell phones.

Reception

IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 rated the game 6.7, calling it "decent", and with little replay value compared to other Castlevania entries.
1up.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....

 has given it a D-, calling it a "major disappointment". Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...

magazine rated the game 3 out of 10, praising the game's music, but calling far too short and easy to complete.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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